Police in Chiang Mai have arrested 2 men and a woman in the province’s Fang district when they found 14 million methamphetamine pills, aka. “yaba”, in one of their 2 vehicles. Officers got a tip on Friday that drugs would be smuggled into the district and set up road checkpoints, according to the deputy national police spokesman.

At around 12:30am, officers spotted a suspicious pickup truck on the Fang bypass road. They followed the vehicle to a hotel in tambon San Sai. Officers checked with the hotel operator who told them that a woman had parked the pickup at the hotel and checked in. They went to her room to question her.

The woman, Phitsamon Samaknakhon, told them she drove the pickup, following another along the route. 2 men, Suthat Nonthong and Yodrak Klangna, boarded the vehicle and were staying in other rooms at the same hotel.

Officers found the 2 men inside their rooms and took all 3 suspects back to the pickup truck. When they opened the rear door of the pickup, they found 77 sacks containing 14 million speed pills inside. The trio were arrested and charged with possession of illicit drugs with intent to sell. They were taken to the Fang police station for questioning and pressing charges.

Chiang Rai quarantines 26 returnees from Phuket

26 returnees from Phuket back to Chiang Rai arrived home on 2 passenger coaches today and were immediately placed in 14 day quarantine. The 26 arrived at the Wiang Indra Riverside Resort in Chiang Rai province (by the way, it looks VERY nice!).

The Deputy provincial governor of Chiang Rai welcomed them and asked them to adhere to the precautionary measures set by the health department. Thorough screening was reportedly conducted by Chiang Rai health officials and they were also reminded to eat only well cooked food, use a personal serving spoon when eating, wash their hands regularly, practice social distancing and most importantly wear face masks at all times.

Meanwhile a group of 400 Thais returnees from foreign countries were placed in state quarantine facilities in Chonburi province yesterday. 7 hotels in Pattaya City have been designated state quarantine facilities. The hotels have been approved by the health department for Thais returning from abroad. Around 2,000 returnees are now being quarantined there. Yesterday’s 400 returnees, that had been stranded in Italy, Malaysia, Japan and Taiwan, arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport before travelling to the quarantine facilities in Chon Buri.

Health officials today reported 11 returnees from overseas tested positive for Covid-19. The 11, 5 of them masseurs, raised Thailand’s total cases to 3,065 since the outbreak began.

“We can say that there are no new locally infected Covid-19 cases as far as official reports are concerned. Even more, all the new cases reported daily were infected in other countries.”

Of the 3,065 accumulated cases, 2,945 (96%) have recovered, with 14 more patients released over the previous 24 hours. Just 63 patients remained in hospital. The death toll remains at 57.

Accomplice in Chiang Rai robbery found hanging in Phayao forest

The alleged motorcycle driver in a recent Chiang Rai robbery has been found hanging in a forest in the upper northern Phayao province, in an apparent suicide. Two men pulled off the daring daytime robbery of more than a million baht in Chiang Saen district last Monday. Both men were then tracked down by police.

The first suspect, identified only as “Sitthichok,” a former Chiang Saen agricultural cooperative employee, was arrested yesterday. Police say the man confessed to stealing 1.05 million baht with his brother in law to pay off gambling debts. He says he left the gun used in the robbery with a friend after committing the heist. The friend then allegedly contacted police after he heard about the crime.

Police say Sittichok at first denied all charges and claimed no connection with the robbery, but after further interrogation he confessed, also giving up his brother in law as the motorcycle driver.

Sitthichok had only 200,000 baht remaining from of the 1,005,000 he stole. He told police the rest was used to pay off gambling debts.

The brother in law, 48 year old Cheunjai Konkham, was found dead by the police in the Phayao forest. Police assume he committed suicide, choosing death over a lengthy prison sentence.

Authorities say a forensic team has collected evidence and had also sent the body for a postmortem examination.

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